ESPN Insider: Raptors' Worst Free-Agent Fit

David West - Toronto Raptors

Inking West could be tempting for the Raptors. This offseason has the makings of a Toronto makeover with some money to burn, a new head coach in Dwane Casey and a desperate need for a franchise player (sorry, it's not Andrea Bargnani).

But West isn't a franchise player. Is his knee OK? Can he thrive without Chris Paul in the pick-and-roll? Can he help anchor defensive-guru Casey's frontcourt? Too many question marks surround West, making it unwise to amnesty Leandro Barbosa to free up the necessary cap room.

If he comes back healthy and you can get him for the right contract then David West is an upgrade to any of the power forwards we have on our roster. Ed Davis is still a big unknown and has the chance to be a better player than West, but he isn't at the moment. I wouldn't take the risk of him coming back not healthy though. JV and West would be a pretty good combination of size, strength, and West is a good scoring big.

If he comes back healthy and you can get him for the right contract then David West is an upgrade to any of the power forwards we have on our roster. Ed Davis is still a big unknown and has the chance to be a better player than West, but he isn't at the moment. I wouldn't take the risk of him coming back not healthy though. JV and West would be a pretty good combination of size, strength, and West is a good scoring big.

David West is 31 years old and a borderline all star talent. By the time JV is ready to make a significant impact in the league West will be 34/35. No thank you.

If he comes back healthy and you can get him for the right contract then David West is an upgrade to any of the power forwards we have on our roster. Ed Davis is still a big unknown and has the chance to be a better player than West, but he isn't at the moment. I wouldn't take the risk of him coming back not healthy though. JV and West would be a pretty good combination of size, strength, and West is a good scoring big.

If he was healthy, what would see as West doing for the team, exactly?

David West is 31 years old and a borderline all star talent. By the time JV is ready to make a significant impact in the league West will be 34/35. No thank you.

That's a good point about JV's learning curve, and I would prefer to see Ed Davis grow along side JV into a tandem. As of this moment which I tried to point out in my post, West is a better player than either of ED, AJ or AB, and he's a borderline all star in the west which has traditionally been deep at his position. Who would you have put ahead of D. West in the East besides KG those years he was playing at a high level?

If he was healthy, what would see as West doing for the team, exactly?

Score to balance out an ofense which if he started at PF over AB would be lacking scoring from their bigs. The scenario is if he was playing along side JV whom I don't think will score at a high rate in the NBA, but provide good defense.

Score to balance out an ofense which if he started at PF over AB would be lacking scoring from their bigs. The scenario is if he was playing along side JV whom I don't think will score at a high rate in the NBA, but provide good defense.

West isn't all that good a defender, and what exactly do you do with Ed Davis and Amir? You'd want 4 PFs on your team? Or are you saying you'd trade one of the good ones in order to keep Bargnani? And aren't you afraid he's just going to improve the team enough this year that it will prevent the Raptors from getting a top 3 pick? Plus, at 31, he'll start to decline just when the Raptors need him. All in all, I can't think of a worse person to sign other than Arenas.

West isn't all that good a defender, and what exactly do you do with Ed Davis and Amir? You'd want 4 PFs on your team? Or are you saying you'd trade one of the good ones in order to keep Bargnani? And aren't you afraid he's just going to improve the team enough this year that it will prevent the Raptors from getting a top 3 pick? Plus, at 31, he'll start to decline just when the Raptors need him. All in all, I can't think of a worse person to sign other than Arenas.

And really, who cares about the offense this year?

It would require trading of Davis, Amir or Bargnani, or perhaps a combination. He's one of the better PF's in the league and though he isn't an excellent defender, he's got a good mix of both offense and defense and is able to stay on the floor unlike Amir and isn't a liability on D like Bargnani. I think he would improve the team this year and would be good along side a solid C like what JV projects to be. Age is an issue, but if healthy he could still be a good player into his mid 30's. I wasn't thinking of just this year.

It would require trading of Davis, Amir or Bargnani, or perhaps a combination. He's one of the better PF's in the league and though he isn't an excellent defender, he's got a good mix of both offense and defense and is able to stay on the floor unlike Amir and isn't a liability on D like Bargnani. I think he would improve the team this year and would be good along side a solid C like what JV projects to be. Age is an issue, but if healthy he could still be a good player into his mid 30's. I wasn't thinking of just this year.

Yes, he would improve the team this year. Great. Then what? A worse draft pick and almost no chance of getting a franchise player in the draft. His presence would put the Raptors in danger of pushing the team towards mediocrity, at best, where few teams are able to recover from. Isn't 16 years of mediocrity (at best) enough for this franchise? And if you're going to add an impact player, don't you want him to be able to still be very productive when the rest of the players on the team are near their peak? West will be 39 when Valanciunas hit's 27, which is generally considered to be the peak for a basketball player. Most big men aren't very productive much past 35, if they last that long.

Yes, he would improve the team this year. Great. Then what? A worse draft pick and almost no chance of getting a franchise player in the draft. His presence would put the Raptors in danger of pushing the team towards mediocrity, at best, where few teams are able to recover from. Isn't 16 years of mediocrity (at best) enough for this franchise? And if you're going to add an impact player, don't you want him to be able to still be very productive when the rest of the players on the team are near their peak? West will be 39 when Valanciunas hit's 27, which is generally considered to be the peak for a basketball player. Most big men aren't very productive much past 35, if they last that long.

You're creating a very small window to succeed if you want all th players to be the same age when JV enters his prime. The reality is that the team will have to look at free agency and trades as a means of improving the team and my original post did say "if we can get him for the right price and if he was healthy". Its just my opinion that JV and West could be a good tandem in the right conditions. I was thinking something along the lines of Webber and Divacs in the days when Sacramento use to be good. Not as good, but along those lines.

Yes, he would improve the team this year. Great. Then what? A worse draft pick and almost no chance of getting a franchise player in the draft. His presence would put the Raptors in danger of pushing the team towards mediocrity, at best, where few teams are able to recover from. Isn't 16 years of mediocrity (at best) enough for this franchise? And if you're going to add an impact player, don't you want him to be able to still be very productive when the rest of the players on the team are near their peak? West will be 39 when Valanciunas hit's 27, which is generally considered to be the peak for a basketball player. Most big men aren't very productive much past 35, if they last that long.

I don't think he would even be an improvement. Marginal at best. He has played with a good defensive center for years, first Chandler, now Okafor, to hide his weaknesses. And on the other side, he's got Paul to make him look good.